HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER
Find your voice.
Tell your story.
Spread your message.
Broadcast yourself.
No matter who we are, how old we are, or where we come from…whether we’re talking to our kiddos, our customers, our bosses, or complete strangers….
We’re pretty obsessed with talking and sharing. We want to be HEARD.
We want to know that someone is really listening to what we have to say.
But it’s reeeeally noisy out here.
And just because we HEAR someone doesn’t mean we’re really listening. (Tweet that!)
Let’s talk about how to fix that.
In this video, you’ll learn:
- The biggest mistakes most of us make when “listening” to other people
- A simple way to be mindful about the noise that SO easily distracts us
- How to make your (conversational) partner feel like the only one in the room
- Why genuine, mindful listening really can make a WORLD of difference
Click below to watch (or take a listen):
IN A (COCO)NUT SHELL
1. Stop talking. Literally – If you want to become a better listener, you’ve got to stop. talking. (Tweet that!)
2. Minimize noise + distractions. Externally: Shut off the phone, close the laptop, turn off the TV. Internally: Try to turn down the distracted thoughts like “I’m hungry. How long will this take? What’s new with her hair?”
3. Listen to learn. Expect to learn something new. Take notes! Pay attention as if you’ll be quizzed after.
4. Make it obvious you’re listening. Make eye contact. Lean in. Nod your head. Say “yep, right…” as appropriate.
5. Don’t interrupt or plan what you’re going to say. SO HARD. But necessary. Let her finish first!
6. Check for understanding. Don’t assume. Ask questions for clarification and repeat back by paraphrasing.
7. Listen between the lines. Pay attention to what s/he’s NOT saying or how s/he’s saying it. Nonverbal cues can provide useful info!
When we take time to tune out the noise and pay attention to what others are saying, everybody wins – our families, our businesses, our communities, and the whole freakin’ WORLD.
LIKE THIS TOPIC?
You will LOVE this TED video called “5 Ways to Listen Better” by Julian Treasure. #commnerdsunite
YOUR HOMEWORK
In the comments below, share:
Which of these tips will you try first?
How do you feel when you know someone’s REALLY listening to you?
For bonus points, really start putting these tips into practice and report back with results.
(i.e. Next time your toddler says, “Mommy, watch this funny joke,” DROP. EVERYTHING. It will be so worth it.)
To the great lessons we learn from listening,
P.S. If you liked this post + want to help me spread the word by using the links below to share it with your buddies, I would greatly appreciate it! You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’d like to see new videos before I’ve had time to turn them into blog posts ;)
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